


Letters

by NewEyes



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-05-18 14:57:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5932462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewEyes/pseuds/NewEyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Len sneaks off the ship in the 70s and posts a letter to his younger self.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Letters

Len didn't want to write the letter.

He'd actually planned on ignoring it entirely, despite the ridiculous paradox bullshit. However after his stunt with the emerald had failed hoping for the best just seemed dangerous, he really didn't know what he was doing with all of this time travel stuff, best not to mess with established events.

"Gideon."

"Yes Leonard?"

"You can make things that aren't clothes, right?"

"That is correct."

"Could you make me something?"

"I am unable to construct weapons or perishable items, but otherwise I would be happy to facilitate your request. What do you require?"

"Light blue paper with a faint snowflake design, I can draw it out and show you the basic idea. Stamps appropriate for 1970's America, an envelope. Also a pen. A pen that writes in blue ink."

*

It was easy enough to sneak off the ship, letter stuffed in the pocket of his parka. Now he just needed to find a post-box.

*

_The rain hammering on the windows woke Len, so he climbed out of bed, past all of his toys, and crept down the stairs in his superhero pyjamas. It was 9 in the morning and his father was still asleep, but if he was careful and quiet he should be able to watch cartoons with the sound down low. As he crept down the stairs he noticed the mail had come. Most of the letters looked adult and serious, white envelopes, but a deep blue one in the pile caught his attention. He moved close enough to read the writing. A handwritten address, and it was for him! He never got letters, except for birthday cards but that was only once a year. He quickly grabbed it from the pile._

_As he did so, he heard a thump from upstairs. Dad was moving, he'd probably be up soon. Len quickly ran up to his room and stashed the envelope in his favourite hiding spot, behind Mr Snuggles. For some reason he knew that this was something just for him, only him. Not for Dad. He could open it later._

*

The place was mostly deserted; it was the middle of the day in a small town, most people were at work. Len spotted the post-box halfway down the high street and hurried over to it. But the closer he got the more he hesitated.

'If you could go back in time and give your younger self advice, what advice would you give them?' People asked that question all the time. Except Len already knew the answer, had known the answer since he was eight years old, when he'd received a letter from a future version of himself.

It had been a message of hope. Of better days to come, of warmth, friendship, freedom. His eight year old self had treasured the letter, needed it, and been just young enough to believe that everything in the letter was true, that this really was a message from the future. He'd carried the thing around everywhere, taken it out and read it whenever he was upset, until the envelope had become smudged with dirty fingerprints. But as he'd aged he'd gradually come to hate the thing. A letter from his future self? Time travel wasn't real, the letter must have been some adult playing a trick. Promises of friendship, hope, warmth? Fuck off, life wasn't like that. Fourteen year old Len knew what life was like. It was hard and cold, and you had to look out for you and yours first because people would hurt you and take whatever they could.

Len took the envelope out of his pocket and turned it over, remembering the last time he'd held it in his hands as a teenager. Lewis had been in one of his moods so Len'd taken a few hits. Lisa had taken a few too, though he'd tried to shield her. Afterwards he'd stormed up to his room and gone straight for the letter in it's hiding place behind Mr Snuggles. He'd torn the fucking thing to shreds in a rage, crying, then thrown the scraps in his bin and set the pile of paper on fire. He'd watched the flames as they danced, erasing all of the lies that he no longer believed. When it was done Len had felt different, like he was finally a child no longer, that he could be who he needed to be to survive, without the letter and it's promises holding him back.

He sighed, still standing in front of the post-box. It was stupid to be so indecisive now, it had already happened and it was in the past, but Len almost felt like finally putting the letter in the post would be sealing his fate. His fate; to have that young hopeful childish eight year old grow into a jaded and bitter person. But he had to do it, or, you know, paradox. Though at least he'd had some moments of happiness and peace out of it as a child, before everything went to shit. He closed his eyes, and posted the envelope.

He just stood there for a moment. He needed to head back to the ship, the others would probably want to leave now that Kendra was better. It was strange though, he felt an odd sense of closure. That part of his life was finally over, he could finally move on.

*

Before he could turn to go a car roared down the empty street and made a stop right where he was standing. A man in a suit hopped out and ran over to Len.

"I don't suppose your name is Len by any chance?" he asked, rifling through a satchel of letters.

"Yes, it is."

"Wonderful," the man said, pulling a blue envelope out of his bag and holding it out to Len.

"What's this?"

"For you. Leonard Snart. We've had this letter for over thirty years, we were told to deliver it on this exact date, this exact time, to a man dressed in a blue parka standing by the mailbox. You're the only one here, you match the description, it's for you."

Len took the envelope. His name was handwritten on the front, but it wasn't his handwriting. It did look sort of familiar though but he couldn't quite place it. "Thanks," he said to the man, not looking up, just turning the envelope over in his hands. The man got back in his car and drove off.

There was no Lewis upstairs to wake, he was no longer a boy, he didn't have to wait to open the letter this time. He opened it carefully, and if his hands were shaking slightly, well, there was nobody to see.

_Dear Len,_

_Hi. It's Barry, Barry Allen. We don't know each other much yet from your perspective, I'm not the Barry from your time period, I'm quite a bit older. We've known each other for a long time now._

_If this letter reaches you when it should, you should have just posted another letter, one to your childhood self. You've spoken to me once or twice about it, and about how you received a letter from me almost immediately afterwards. So...this is it._

_I could have just time travelled and delivered it myself, but when you spoke to me about you specified that it was delivered 'Back to the Future' style, and hey, best not to mess with established events, right :)?_

_You also told me about the original letter, about how it was a symbol of hope that you destroyed when you were a teenager, in grief and anger. So I'm giving you another letter, a second chance at it._

_I just want to tell you this. You are a good person. Your future is one of family and friends, warmth and love. Yeah, you make some mistakes along the way, we all do, but every time you do, you learn from them and get up stronger._

_I'm really glad to have known you, and I'm proud to call you my husband. And the most important thing._

_ You are loved. _

_Yours,_

_Barry._

_P.S._

_When you got back to your time after this mission with Savage, you came to see me. I think it was the beginning of our relationship and I don't know if you would have come without me telling you in this letter, so I thought I'd just remind you. Come visit me :)._

Len raised a hand to wipe his eyes, and then carefully folded up the letter and put it carefully into his pocket. He was keeping this one.

*

Len was exhausted from the final fight with Savage but the letter said to be here. He wanted to be here, he wanted what the letter promised. He tried not to get his hopes up too much, the future could still be changed, but he really wanted it to work.

He paused with his hand above the bell. The letter had said but...what if it was wrong? What if Barry just laughed in his face or tried to arrest him? But while Len was a lot of things, coward wasn't one of them. He pressed the bell.

*

They ended up sitting on Barry's couch together.

"So...." Barry said. "Why are you here?"

Len just laughed. "It's a bit complicated to explain, but I have a letter here," he pulled it out of his pocket, "from you."

"But-,"

"Not you now. A future version of you."

"That _is_ my handwriting," Barry leaned closer. "Can I..." he reached out to take it, but Len pulled back.

"It's personal and in your future, probably best you don't right now. But in the letter, you, older you, said to come tonight. Said we become friends." Len didn't want to scare Allen off by talking about love and marriage right off the bat. Friends first, he could work on the rest later. "I....would like that, if you want to try?"

He looked over at Barry, who thought about it for a moment and then just shrugged. "I mean, sure, why not, we can try it and see how it goes. I don't see the harm," he smiled at Len, who felt his heart skip slightly. They was an awkward pause and Len started to panic, what should he say now?

"So...I have some popcorn, sodas, we could watch a movie?" Barry suggested, and Len latched onto the idea.

"Great idea."

Barry got up and went for the remote. "So, what sort of thing do you want to watch?" he asked. "It's funny, I don't even know what kind of movies you like."

Len thought for a moment, and then smiled. "How about...Back to the Future."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Loved episode 1x03 of Legends of Tomorrow, had to write this.
> 
> My tumblr: http://xxxneweyesxxx.tumblr.com/


End file.
